Coming out to the Hard Rock Cafe on a Thursday evening is kind of like the atmosphere of any other touristy/family restaurant with rock memorabilia on the walls. Chicken fingers, high chairs and cool drink coasters. But instead of a jukebox there is a somewhat decent sized stage set in the main circular room filled with high school suburban kids marking their spots with their winter jackets.
In sponsorship with non-profit, Why., the Shiny Toy Guns have good karma by letting on a concert in exchange for those who brought 4 cans of non-perishable food. Concert for a good cause, not a bad deal.
STG has gone through a major transition in the last year with Carah Faye Charnow leaving the band and newcomer, Sisely Treasure, filling her spot. In a few rumors, people have said that Carah left on her own terms or even that the guys kicked her out. Either way, fans have been devastated, but I was hopeful in giving Sisely a chance.
In an interview with liveDaily, STG said that before they found Carah, they saw Sisely at a show and wanted her from the beginning. But she was already in a contract deal with DreamWorks Records at the time. After being bummed out about Carah's departure, they went back to find Sisely was available and began to put together the new album, Season of Poison, that features the new band member’s vocals.
You may remember Sisely from a reality TV show she was in a few years ago called "The Search for the new Pussycat Doll" in which contestants proved themselves in challenges as sexy, dancing singers for a chance to be a member of the girl group.
Now that you’re all caught up on the details, we can get back to how the show was.
The Frantic opened up the evening with a young crowd, but that would make sense considering the band members are only 18 and 19 years old. The age-thing didn't make a difference, as their sound was loud and energetic. The mix of punk and pop pushed together to sound like Sum 41 with a couple of Thursday moments. Local radio station, Q101.1 (another sponsor for the show), named the band "Best New Artist" in 2007 so these guys are just getting started.
Kyle Dee (lead vocals/guitar) is the funny cute one that young girls crush on. Brothers, Ian (guitar) and Chris (bass) Farnesi, have the synchronized jumping thing down pretty well and drummer Brett Hartwell's long hair is perfect for head banging while thrashing the cymbals. Watch out Fall Out Boy.
At the end of their set, they covered The Foundations' "Build me up Buttercup" that induced a punky sing-a-long. Overall, their hyper, high-energy and catchy songs were a good opening to wake up the freezing Chicago crowd.
Major lighting changes were going on as the Shiny Toy Guns started to set up their equipment. It was pretty obvious that the touristy restaurant was going to change dramatically. Strobe lights and fog machines gave an ambient atmosphere that goes great with their music style.
"Starts With One," off their album We Are Pilots, was the first song of the show and was a smooth beginning that gave off a slight Coldplay feel. Then "Ghost Town" quickly turned things around to a more danceable style. STG's music often contradicts itself with ambient, calm moments mixed with screaming vocals and blasting guitars.
"When Did This Storm Begin" was a perfect example of the epic sound of synths and ambiance then only to change up in the middle of the song with Sisely's vocals completely shattering the calm daze. Next up was their latest single “Ricochet!” (yes, there is supposed to be an exclamation point). Lead singer Chad Petree really made the song come alive with his angst-filled shouting that mixed well Sisely's sultry lyrics.
"Le Disko" showcased that Sisely truly can take Carah's songs and fill in her shoes without it being awkward or forced. The catchy lyrics and colorful lighting gave the crowd an intense craving to sing along.
Other notable songs were "Blown Away," "Waiting" and "Rainy Monday." "Blown Away" should be the follow-up single to "Season of Poison" as the slow creep in the beginning of the song transitions to a much more edgy and harder sound. "Rainy Monday" was very danceable and fluid. Mikey Martin rocked hard on the drums, but every other part of the song was light and moveable.
When the encore came around, I definitely got closer as STG played Depeche Mode's "Stripped." Also, "Don't Cry Out" was performed perfectly as Sisely's high-energy 80’s-style dancing won over the crowd. Last song was "You Are The One" and without Jeremy Dawson's synth skills this song would be dead. Instead it was dead on as an electro-pop dance song that should get more recognition.
The soaring sounds of STG came to an end and while young fans left in a hurry, the band stayed around to take pictures and sign autographs. I asked if they were going to make it to their Kill Hannah DJ set after party at Crimson Lounge and Jeremy said probably not as they had to drive 15 hours that night to their next show.
Overall, the show was great. Awesome lighting, good sound, fun crowd and all for a good cause (I wonder how many cans they collected…) To fans that miss Carah, don't worry, and give Sisely a chance. Her voice is a little different, but STG's interesting mix of contradicting styles of dance/electronica, rock and pop is worth the change.
Artists:
www.shinytoyguns.com
www.thefrantic.com
Download:
Shiny Toy Guns – “Le Disko (Tommie Sunshine's Brooklyn Fire Retouch)” – [mp3]
